Batman/Superman [2019] #5 - DC Comics

BATMAN/SUPERMAN No. 5, February 2020

As “explosive first arc” finales go, it is somewhat doubtful that the majority of this comic’s declining 36,269 strong audience were particularly impressed with just how “Who Are The Secret Six?” concludes. For whilst the titular characters successfully stop “the satellite and the portal to the Dark Multiverse”, this twenty-two page periodical doesn’t in any way resolve the consequences of Hawkman, Supergirl, Shazam, Donna Troy and Blue Beetle becoming infected by the Batman Who Laugh’s poisonous toxin.

Indeed, the more cynical reader may well view Issue Five of “Batman/Superman” as little more than the culmination of a huge marketing campaign by “DC Comics” for the Burbank-based publisher’s 2019 crossover comic book event involving Lex Luthor transforming himself into a “human/Martian hybrid version of himself”; especially when this particular book even goes so far as to close with the exasperating caption “follow the Batman Who Laughs & the Infected in Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #1”.

Sadly such shenanigans arguably take the shine off of what is otherwise a darn good story by Joshua Williamson, who uses the death of Superman and his family on Earth-22 to dramatically motivate the Man of Steel in this universe. Positively incensed by the decayed corpses of his wife and child hanging on display within the Dark Multiverse’s satellite, and enraged by Shazam’s horrifying belly-laugh at the sight of his Justice League friends’ mutilated cadavers, the California-born writer depicts a suddenly all-too deadly portrayal of Clark Kent’s alter-ego, who literally pounds both his cousin, Kara Zor-El, and Captain Marvel into the very ground.

“One of the premier shepherds of the DC universe” is similarly as skilful penning Batman too, as the Dark Knight tackles Commissioner Gordon and Blue Beetle using a mixture of wits, gadgetry, fists and Superman’s extra-terrestrial zoo animals. Tapping into Jamie Reyes’s untainted scarab to destroy the Batman Who Laughs’ nefarious tower, and subsequently felling the dark version of Gotham City’s veteran police officer with a thunderous kick in the guts, Williamson also manages to simultaneously show the Caped Crusader’s more caring side, by having him notice just how much discomfort Ted Kord’s successor must constantly be in when morphed into Khaji Da’s battle suit; “Jaime… I never knew… Ugh… That scarab was so… painful…”

Writer: Joshua Williamson, Artist: David Marquez, and Colorist: Alejandro Sanchez

Batman/Superman [2019] #4 - DC Comics

BATMAN/SUPERMAN No. 4, January 2020

Persistently rocking back and forth as to whether or not this comic’s titular characters have any hope of thwarting the Batman Who Laughs and his evil, toxin-infected, super-powered slaves, Joshua Williamson’s script for “Who Are The Secret Six?” may well have caused some of its 45,796 readers to feel a little green about the gills. However, for those bibliophiles able to weather such a sense-shattering storm, it’s hard to imagine them ever encountering another twenty-two page periodical crammed with half as many as twists and turns as the “New York Times Best Selling Author” somehow manages to crowbar into this publication’s action-packed narrative.

For starters, just as it looks likel the ‘dynamic duo’ might be about to outmanoeuvre the Blue Beetle’s stunning subjugation of the Fortress of Solitude in the Bermuda Triangle, the pair are shockingly hamstrung by the unforeseen arrival of a heavily-poisoned Donna Troy and Hawkman. This surprising revelation not only must have caught many a bibliophile off-guard, but also leads to some great dialogue where the likes of Jim Gordon, the original Wonder Girl and Carter Hall rebuke “Blue Boy” and the Dark Knight for a plethora of perceived injustices, such as the American archaeologist emphatically stating just “how sick Carter is of hearing about how you plan for everything, Batman”.

Similarly as stunning is the pulse-pounding entrance of Supergirl, and the almost nonchalant side-punch she subsequently smacks Troy into tomorrow with. The idea of Superman, Kara Zor-El and Bruce Wayne’s alter-ego knuckling down to a no-holds barred bout of fisticuffs against a party of poisoned heroes who have been turned “into the Dark Multiverse versions of themselves” is mouth-watering, until it quickly transpires that intercepting a toxin-laced bat-a-rang hurled by the Blue Beetle probably wasn’t the greatest idea of the Kryptonian’s cousin; “Is someone going to explain to me why all our friends have a metal fetish now?”

Nobly injecting all these non-stop shenanigans with plenty of pace are David Marquez’s scintillating storyboards. Moodily coloured by Alejandro Sanchez, the American artist really manages to imbue this comic’s punch-ups with some palpable impacts. In fact, it’s arguably hard to watch either Troy smacking the seven bells out of Superman or Kara cracking Hawkman squarely on his chiselled jaw, without involuntarily winching at the formidable force such blows would surely create.

Writer: Joshua Williamson, Artist: David Maequez, and Colorist: Alejandro Sanchez

Batman/Superman [2019] #3 - DC Comics

BATMAN/SUPERMAN No. 3, December 2019

Whilst Joshua Williamson clearly put some considerable thought into his decision as to which six heroes of the DC Universe had been “infected with a serum that will turn them into the worst versions of themselves.” It is arguably hard not to feel that his script for Issue Three of “Batman/Superman” completely wastes the opportunity to explore just what might have happened had The Batman Who Laughs not killed his universe’s version of Clark Kent, and instead transformed the Man of Steel into “the greatest tool I ever had in my utility belt.”

In fact, considering that this ongoing series’ previous instalment concluded on the cliffhanger of Kal-El purposely poisoning “himself with Joker toxin to go undercover”, many of this comic’s 55,334 readers were probably astounded that the Kryptonian’s façade is brought to an abrupt halt by the Caped Crusader within this publication’s first few pages. True, this short-lived ruse has apparently already been rumbled by Batman’s evil counterpart due to the alternative version somewhat unbelievably being able to smell the hard-light holograms used to ‘fool’ the super-villain into believing he had escaped his cell, but even so, it would still have been interesting to have witnessed Jerry Siegel’s co-creation battle his urge to “give in to your true self” for a bit longer.

Just as disappointing, is the fast-paced resolution the California-born writer brings to Jim Gordon’s disconcerting infection, which, having been used to set-up this entire long-running narrative’s premise, is quickly ended courtesy of Superman’s intervention. Questions such as how many good cops have died because of the Batman, as well as how many people Gordon has had to bury “because of the Hell you’ve created in Gotham”, clearly ‘wound’ Bruce Wayne’s alter-ego, and artist David Marquez does a fabulous job of depicting the inner turmoil on the Caped Crusader’s face.

Yet rather than provide the far more compelling experience of a strongly conflicted Dark Knight tortuously battling both his inner demons, as well as a mercilessly mocking veteran police commissioner who blames him for causing the fictional metropolis to fall ever “deeper into ruin”, Williamson instead has a conveniently ‘almost toxin free’ Man of Steel simply fly straight in to save the day and swiftly end the compulsive confrontation; “So much for the World’s Greatest Detective!”

The regular cover art of "BATMAN/SUPERMAN" No. 3 by David Marquez & Alejandro Sanchez